IF I were to open a bar at an ice arena, I'd name it Zamboni's.

(Waddya mean, "What's a Zamboni?" That's the big ice-resurfacing machine they drive over the ice before the match and between periods. All ice resurfacers are not Zambonis, but it's one of those names like Hoover that's just stuck).

Anyway, at the National Ice Centre they don't share my taste in naming. For the in-house hostelry, they've gone the subtle route and called it the T&D Cafe Bar.

No extra points for guessing the "T&D" in question. At the ice centre, you're never far from the watchful gaze of Torvill and Dean. Pictures, posters, paintings, great stonking banners – if the ice centre was a totalitarian regime, you'd assume T&D were the Dear Leaders.

The T&D bar's divided in two, one side for the beer and one for the morning offer of hot drinks and snacky breakfast foods. Later in the day, there's also a hot food menu that leans heavily on pizza.

Furnishings come straight from the chain hotel bar school of design – lots of modern wood with a few burgundy and deep green chairs mixed in. For decor, we get silver-framed photos of past arena performers. Here's Pink, sporting a bright pink mohican and not much else. There's Lionel Richie, enquiring as to whether it's him you're looking for. There, naturally, are T&D.

It's all pleasant, professional and unspectacular. But the real treat here comes from the place's one truly unique feature. The bar perches over the centre's practice rink... erm, sorry, Capital One Rink. It's a floor up and the wall's all window, so you've got a birds-eye view of whoever's training. In the span of a single drink one recent day, I was able to catch the end of a training session of some elite young British figure skaters and the start of Panthers' practice. (The latter seemed to involve a bit more whooping and grunting than the former.)

As unique bar features go, it's tough to beat. Although it can make you feel slightly inadequate to see some young skater effortlessly twirl across the ice while you're slumped up above with a beverage.

Not that you should slump. Maintain posture. T&D are watching.